BERKELEY – The California men's tennis program completed its coaching staff with the hiring of Horacio Matta and the addition of Rajeev Ram, Director of Men's Tennis Peter Wright announced on Wednesday. Matta, an assistant coach, and Ram, a volunteer assistant coach, will join Wright for the 2020-21 season.
 
A former professional player, Matta is an experienced coach who's worked with Chile's Davis Cup team, with the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida and with several talented international and local talents. Matta coached Nicolas Massu, double gold medalist in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and Fernando Gonzales, silver medalist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, losing to Rafael Nadal in the finals. In addition, he coached local players Cici Bellis and Michaela Gordon. Also the father of former Cal player Gunther Matta, Horacio Matta was a volunteer assistant coach at Stanford for the 2019-20 season.
 
"Horacio's Davis Cup coaching experience coupled with having coached former top-10 players Fernando Gonzales and Nicolas Massu – and most recently ATP Top 20 player Cristian Garin – give him a unique player-development perspective not found on any other college campus in America," Wright said.
 
A current pro ranked No. 9 in doubles in the latest ATP rankings, Ram has captured singles and doubles titles at numerous levels of the game. In February, he paired with Joe Salisbury to win the men's doubles championship at the 2020 Australian Open. Ram posted his first Grand Slam triumph in 2019 when he partnered with Barbora Krejcíková to win the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open. He collected two ATP World Tour singles titles when he won at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island, in 2009 and 2015. In the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, Ram teamed with Venus Williams to claim the silver medal in mixed doubles, and in 2003 he led Illinois to the NCAA team championship and paired with Brian Wilson to win the NCAA doubles crown.
 
"Rajeev's experience as an NCAA champion, Olympic medalist and Grand Slam champion gives him unparalleled insight into what it takes to be a tennis champion," Wright said. "I'm excited for our players to be working with these incredible coaches, both of whom share a passion for teaching and for building a championship culture."